GATORS ON THE GO!

NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC'S OFFICE

The intent of the SPMA Gators Athletics program at every sport is this: to serve each student-athlete as best as we can. The coaching staff is committed to building a strong program that not only represents the school and your families well, but also serves you, the student-athlete. The practices and games are yours. The glory of a championship or the agony of a tough defeat is yours as well.

As coaches, it is our job to encourage you to take risks, challenge you to achieve more by working harder and to provide a safe environment to do so, but also, to have fun and to enjoy the experience. We will strive to give you all the knowledge we can offer to help you better understand the sport. We will not run the course for you, take your shots in games, or sink that long putt. We will not work out in the summers for you and we will not practice for you. It all is yours and what you make of it is up to you. We are simply the tools for you to utilize in your effort to build something great. Treat us with respect and we will continue to work well for you. The same goes for your teammates. They are working with you and you should be doing the same. Even a dismissive “whatever” between teammates has the potential to hinder our ability to be successful.

As a Gator student-athlete, when you are on the court or field of play, you are expected to work hard and do your best. That means attacking whatever the task at hand is with a supreme focus and determination to keep working on it until it is achieved. Your ability to improve will be largely determined by how fully you can comprehend and apply this philosophy. We all want to see results today and sometimes it is hard to feel accomplished without a record indicating your victories. One of the goals of this program is to have you reflect on your progression as it is going on. In other words, don’t wait until the end of the season to dissect how you approach the challenges the sport has laid out for you during the course of an entire season. Instead, we ask you to focus on how well you did the things you were asked to do today and think about how we can improve tomorrow.

Having had the great experiences of being on great teams at the middle and high school levels, I can tell you that you look back and think about how rewarding it was to have your entire team’s hard work pay off. You think about what those teammates sacrificed for you to achieve what you had agreed on pursuing vigorously. You think about what they did because you know how hard you worked and all the things you sacrificed. You end up contemplating just what your limits are when people come together and selflessly dedicate themselves to an idea. You realize the true value and meaning of a “team". Your pride is derived from the belief that you EARNED whatever trophies people want to award you with. You deserve the recognition for your work to get there. The trophies are for the school and historians; the games, the practices, the bus rides and post-game locker room are yours. Work hard to create a series of positive experiences and it will end well, but focus on the experience itself with the knowledge that you are building towards your own ending. Make it great and enjoy the journey.